CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 88: CLIMAX! THE MYSTERY REVEALED, XUANTIAN-CLASS BATTLE ARMOR - FURY

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for retrieving the first lost memory fragment: Rage!]

Uncontrollable fury is its trigger. While in a state of rage you might cause many tragedies, you can’t even protect your new girlfriend. What else do you have to lose?

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Xuantian-class Battle Armor - Rage!]

[Note: All Xuantian-class Battle Armors must be collected to unlock their combination into a higher-level Divine Armor. The other six pieces must be gathered first.]

The pained expression on Chen Pingchuan’s face vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness in his eyes. The man who was once so full of humanity suddenly became a stranger, as if he were an entirely different person, speaking profound and inscrutable words.

"Have four years passed?"

"Just as I thought. Human nature is too weak. Even with the rules loaded for him, he still ended up in this pathetic state. Thank goodness I was the first to awaken. If it had been one of the other divinities, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"So, why was this weakling put in charge?!"

"ARGH! I AM SO ENRAGED!"

Chen Pingchuan’s furious roar stunned the Blue Demon, who stood a short distance away. The transformation happening before his eyes was far beyond his comprehension. Everything had been progressing smoothly. This was child’s play, and it wasn’t the first time he’d played this game. Aside from the girl’s selfless sacrifice, which had taken him by surprise, nothing else had been particularly noteworthy.

However, the moment Chen Pingchuan’s shout echoed out, the warning sirens in his Battle Armor began blaring incessantly.

"WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"

"Respected Dark Guard Leader Blue Demon, a powerful energy fluctuation has been detected in your vicinity. Its energy level exceeds your capabilities. Please proceed with extreme caution. If you encounter an irresistible force, retreat immediately!"

"WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"

"EVACUATE THE AREA! EVACUATE THE AREA! EVACUATE THE AREA!"

"DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!"

"Xuantian-class Battle Armor detected. Good luck."

Despite the mechanical exterior of his armor, the Blue Demon’s face twisted into an incredibly human-like expression, his thoughts racing like a man’s.

This is it. I’ve really messed with the wrong person this time!

As the Blue Demon came to this realization, Chen Pingchuan, who had been kneeling on the ground, shot to his feet. His brows were knit so tightly they looked like iron clamps struggling to contain the rage about to erupt. The muscles in his cheeks were taut, his nostrils flared, and his breathing was rapid and heavy. His tightly sealed lips seemed to be suppressing an imminent roar, and the glint in his eyes was a sharp blade that threatened to shred everything in its path. An awe-inspiring aura radiated from Chen Pingchuan, making his figure seem taller and more imposing, fueled by pure rage.

"Xuantian-class Battle Armor—Rage! Equip!"

The Xuantian-class Battle Armor—Rage was a type of advanced symbiotic armor. The suit itself could fuse with the host’s cells, granting them superhuman strength, speed, and defensive capabilities. As a high-end product among Mechanical Battle Armors, the Rage could even simulate and transform its shape according to the host’s will, not limited to various weapon forms or flight modes. As for its self-repair ability, unless it was severely damaged by a weapon of the same level with annihilation properties, its repair mechanism could activate and heal on its own at a rate dozens of times faster than biological tissue regeneration.

As the jet-black Battle Armor finished materializing, Chen Pingchuan resembled a larger, darker version of the Blue Demon. However, this was only a superficial similarity; his own armor was far more stylish and imposing. It boasted a black metallic sheen and an all-encompassing, honeycomb-patterned, semi-invisible energy shield. Streamlined celestial circuits, like blood vessels, flowed across its body, creating a perfect fusion of technology and metal.

Chen Pingchuan’s transformation left the Blue Demon utterly dumbfounded, and even the deranged Monica was no exception.

At that moment, she was slumped on the ground, her face a mask of disbelief. Her eyes, fixed on Chen Pingchuan’s back, flickered between awe and apprehension as she muttered incessantly.

"Is this God’s test for me? He was by my side all along, and I never realized... I am a sinner. I deserve to die."

It was clear Monica had succumbed to her madness, now denying her own perceptions. After all, she had never seen her god without his armor, so it was only natural she wouldn’t recognize Chen Pingchuan. But fanatics often get caught in logical loops. She convinced herself that it was all her fault, that she had failed to recognize her god. It wasn’t that he had arrived too late, but that she hadn’t been devout enough. God’s work had all turned to dust, and as the Archbishop, she bore the most direct and undeniable responsibility.

Maybe if I had been more careful... maybe if I had tried harder... maybe...

However, no one was paying any attention to her now, for a great battle was about to begin.

"Tell me, how do you want to die?" Chen Pingchuan’s voice was low and menacing.

"My human self may be somewhat useless, but we are one and the same. And we are not to be trifled with by little bugs like you."

"Bugs can’t harm us, but they are disgusting—especially when they drive my human counterpart to a mental breakdown. I’m not sure whether to praise you or pity you. You have no idea what you’ve just provoked."

At Chen Pingchuan’s grandiose speech, the Blue Demon felt an uncontrollable anger welling up inside him. Ever since he had abandoned his human body and equipped the Celestial Palace’s legacy Battle Armor, he hadn’t encountered such a situation in decades. His energy core, which hadn’t registered an emotional fluctuation for many years, was now reacting.

What the Blue Demon didn’t know was that this anger wasn’t entirely his own. It was being stoked by Chen Pingchuan, moving beyond his ability to control or suppress.

The Blue Demon raised his right arm, his hand making a gripping motion in the air. With a WHOOSH, the blue blade embedded in Markel’s body shot back into his hand. Holding his weapon restored the Blue Demon’s confidence. Although the mechanical warnings continued to chime intermittently, they didn’t shake his courage.

His cold, mechanical voice rang out again. "To think I’d be so underestimated."

"I presume you’re the mastermind behind this Mechanical Resistance Army. I don’t quite understand why you waited until we had killed all these people to show yourself."

"Was it because they were too weak? A test of their loyalty? They’re all dead now, so what’s the point of loyalty?"

"And I don’t know where you crawled out from, but let me tell you this: messing with me today was the last mistake you’ll ever make."

"Now, prepare to face a tempest of attacks!"

"Super Combat Form, activate!"

As the Blue Demon activated his strongest combat form, his entire Mecha seemed to expand. The Rage armor, originally twice his size, no longer held an advantage in scale. Furthermore, visible arcs of electricity and an azure energy shield formed around the Blue Demon’s Mecha. The blade of his weapon ignited with blazing flames, their blue so deep it resembled the dead stillness of the abyssal ocean.

"Come on! Let’s see what you’ve got, you coward who hides in the shadows!"

The moment the words left his lips, the Blue Demon charged. He even used jet propulsion from his feet to maximize his speed. Leveraging the recoil, he tore through the air with his blade, streaking toward Chen Pingchuan faster than lightning.